1. Field of Invention
Liquid distillate hydrocarbon fuels, espeically those fuels which have minor concentrations of water entrained in the fuel composition, support a wide variety of gel-forming microorganisms which tend to deposit in the form of slime, sludge and other forms of precipitous undesirables and cause fuel storage tank corrosion, malfunctioning of distillate fuel oil burners, internal combustion engines (including gasoline and diesel engines), and jet turbine engines due to accumulations of gelatinous deposits in fuel tanks and lines, strainers, burner nozzles, filters, needle valves, level controls and the like. In numerous instances, physically removing the gelatinous deposits has failed to solve the problem of additional accumulations of the gelatinous deposits.
It has now been discovered that a small but effective amount of a halonitro alcohol added to a binary liquid distillate hydrocarbon fuel system containing an aqueous phase, alleviates the problem of gel-formation by killing and inhibiting the growth of microorganisms which produce the gel.
2. The Prior Art
The problem of gel-formation in hydrocarbon fuel systems is known and several attempts have been made in the past to solve the problem. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,259,478, issued to Thayer, on July 5, 1966 for Bacteria-Inhibited Fuel Composition, relates to growth inhibition of slime promoting microorganisms in the presence of hydrocarbon distillate fuels containing entrained water. In particular, microorganism growth in fuel systems containing water is said to be inhibited by incorporating in the fuel a small amount of a microbicide selected from the group of 2-nitroresorcinol, 4-nitroresorcinol, 4-nitrosoresorcinol and nitrocatechol. The antimicrobial agents are primarily described as oil soluble, with the capability of partition between the two phases in a fuel-water binary system.
The use of 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1, 3-diol to suppress bacterial growth is described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,707,148 issued to Bryce on Dec. 26, 1972, for Impregnated Diaper, which teaches the incorporation of 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1, 3-diol and a monomeric acid, such as citric acid, in a substrate, for example, a diaper, to absorb ammonia and inhibit the growth of ammonia-producing bacteria to prevent diaper rash associated with infants.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,024,192, issued to Bennett et al, on Mar. 6, 1962, entitled "Process for the Control of Bacteria in a Flooding Process for the Recovery of Petroleum Oil", teaches the use of halonitroalkanols to control sulfur-reducting bacteria, such as Desulfovibrio desulfuricans, in the secondary recovery of petroleum oils. This is accomplished by incorporating into the flooding water effective amounts of halonitroalkanols.
Another use for 2-bromo-2-nitropropane-1, 3-diol is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,907,539 issued to Holdt et al, on Sept. 23, 1975 for a Process for Preserving Cut Flowers. In particular, the reference discloses an aqueous nutrient concentrate composition which is described as suitable for preserving cut flowers. The aqueous concentrate comprises sugar, an acid-reacting substance(s), 2-bromo-2-nitropropanediol-(1,3) and a plant growth promoting compound(s). The 2-bromo-2-nitropropanediol-(1,3) is utilized in the context of a germicidal agent.
Canadian Pat. No. 742,668, issued to Kline et al, on Sept. 13, 1966, entitled "Antimicrobial Compositions and Process", relates to the use of antimicrobial and antifungal agents to suppress the growth of microorganisms in hydrocarbon fuels. In particular, the reference teaches the use of nitrosubstituted benzonitriles as antibacterial and antifungal agents.